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Giles was happy to describe Halloween as 'dead for the undead... they stay in'. This may have been the case for Buffy's stateside bloodsuckers, but here across the ocean, All Hallows' Eve is one of the more paranormally active times of the year.

The sound of a pealing bell is said to be heard on 31 October, emerging from beneath the surface of Thirlmere Lake. The village of Wythburn could once be found here, but was flooded in 1894 to create a reservoir for Manchester. The waters also consumed Armboth Hall, haunted by a wedding party that also appeared only on Halloween, doomed to replay events leading up to the bloody murder of the newly-wed bride. The River Caldew near Dacre is another watery grave, this time home to a young phantom lantern bearer. This boy was said to have hanged himself at Hawkesdale Hall, and now takes a walk of shame once a year from the place of his death into the cold waters of the river, where he awaits for another twelve months before repeating his route.

Hauntings relating to water are definitely trendy around this time of year. A large black dog haunts the dockyards at North Shields, and is said to be a former sailor. The son of a poor family, the man spent many years at sea making his fortune before returning home to share his wealth with his parents. Unfortunately his desperately hungry mother and father failed to recognise the bearded sailor as he turned up on their doorstep, and catching a glimpse of pockets full of money, quickly murdered the man before realising their mistake. A little further up the coast, the cliffs close to Amble are annually visited by a ghostly woman who leaps from the edge, fading from view moments before hitting the sea. Crossing the country to Bournemouth, a phantom First World War soldier appears at the town hall on 31 October. The incorporeal warrior helps himself to a quick drink of water before fading away.

Halloween is also a popular time for phantom animals. The ghost of Lady Hobbingdon would be accompanied by a white calf as she wandered around her home of Hindlip Hall, her phantom form moving between all the secret priest holes which were concealed on site. Unfortunately for us, the original hall was destroyed by fire in 1820. At Eagle's Crag, Cliviger Gorge, Lord William Towneley and his faithful hunting hound appear, forever giving chase to a nimble doe which darts between rocks and trees. A spectral sow with her phantom piglets manifests along Bonnewells Lane in Bransby, while the woods around Tuamgraney is reputed to turn into a dense dark forest containing demonic creatures, including phantasmal rams and a hound of hell with red glowing eyes.

Divination was traditionally another popular pastime at this time of year, with particular emphasis on future spouses. A girl looking into a mirror was believed to be able to see her future husband appearing over her shoulder. Some also believed the same result could be gleamed by looking into a well or small body of water. In Connaught, there was a tradition of baking a cake which contained a ring, a coin, a sloe berry and a wood chip. The cake was evenly divided amongst all present; whoever had the ring would be first to marry, the coin would lead to wealth, the sloe would result in the longest living, and the wood chip indicated the first of those present to die. A couple of parish churches in the UK were also said to be able to predict those who were doomed to die over the coming twelve months; a voice would emerge from one building, a roll call of the souls soon to depart, while within another church, the souls of the future dead could be seen flooding through the doors. As a slight deterrent against loitering until midnight to see who would shuffle off their mortal coil, to see your own soul entering the building would result in instant madness...

My favourite Halloween ghost story concerns a Hackney coach driver who, in 1684, picked up a dark, shadowy figure from the corner of Water Lane and Fleet Street. The fare asked to be taken to Lower Church Yard. The cab driver agreed, but try as he might, his team of horses refused to move. Apologetically, the driver turned to ask the passenger to leave, but was forced to look on in horror when he realised the dark figure had transformed into a huge bear-like creature with flaming eyes. Within seconds, the monstrous entity vanished in a blinding flash, leaving a much shaken cab driver alone in the night.

Have a great Halloween.